View source for ... And Some Were Human

{{Short description|1948 collection of short stories by Lester del Rey}}
{{Infobox book | <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Novels or Wikipedia:WikiProject_Books -->
| name          = ... And Some Were Human
| title_orig    =
| translator    =
| image         = somewerehuman.jpg
| caption       = First edition
| author        = [[Lester del Rey]]
| illustrator   = S. Levin
| cover_artist  = L. Robert Tschirky
| country       = United States
| language      = English
| series        =
| genre         = [[Science fiction]] and [[fantasy]] [[short stories]]
| publisher     = [[Prime Press]]
| pub_date      = 1948
| media_type    = Print (hardback & paperback)
| pages         = 331 pp
| lccn          = 
| oclc          = 1962580
| preceded_by   = 
| followed_by   = 
}}'''''"...and some were human."''''' is the first story collection by science fiction writer [[Lester del Rey]], originally published in hardcover by [[Prime Press]] in 1948 in an edition of 3,050 copies if which 50 were specially bound, slipcased and signed by the author. The stories first appeared in ''[[Astounding Stories|Astounding]]'' and ''[[Unknown (magazine)|Unknown]]''. An abridged paperback edition, including only eight of the twelve stories, was issued by [[Ballantine Books]] in 1961. A Spanish translation, reportedly dropping only one story, appeared in 1957.<ref>[http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?37653 ISFDB bibliography]</ref>

==Contents==

* "Foreword"
* "Hereafter, Inc." (''[[Unknown (magazine)|Unknown]]'' 1941)
* "The Day Is Done" (''[[Astounding Stories|Astounding]]'' 1939)
* "Forsaking All Others" (''Unknown'' 1939)
* "The Coppersmith"* (''Unknown'' 1939)
* "The Luck of Ignatz" ( ''Astounding'' 1939)
* "The Faithful"* (''Astounding'' 1938)
* "Dark Mission" (''Astounding'' Jul 1940)
* "[[Helen O'Loy]]" (''Astounding'' 1938)
* "The Stars Look Down"* (''Astounding'' 1940)
* "The Renegade" (''Astounding'' 1943)
* "The Wings of Night" (''Astounding'' 1942)
* "Nerves"* (''Astounding'' Sep 1942)

Stories marked with an asterisk* were omitted from the Ballantine paperback. "Helen O'Loy" was reportedly omitted from the Spanish translation.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.philsp.com/homeville/isfac/t33.htm#A720 |title=Index to Science Fiction Anthologies and Collections |access-date=2014-02-15 |archive-date=2020-10-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002133031/http://www.philsp.com/homeville/isfac/t33.htm#A720 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Reception==
[[Sam Moskowitz]] wrote that del Rey "displays enough understanding of the basic emotions of mankind to stand clearly apart from the herd in providing heart-warming entertainment."<ref name=Moskowitz>Sam Moskowitz, "Fantasy Book Reviews", ''[[Fantastic Novels]]'', January 1949, p.113.</ref> [[P. Schuyler Miller]] similarly noted that del Rey's characters "have a warmth about them which makes what happens to them the reader's serious concern . . . because they are people you'd like to know.", he also noted that the stories had been popular with readers when originally published, and "five to ten years later, they hold up equally well."<ref>"Book Reviews", ''[[Astounding Stories]]'', September 1949, p.150.</ref> ''[[Amazing Stories]]'' reviewer Morris Tish also reviewed the collection favorably, calling the selections "some of the best examples of [del Rey's] work.<ref>"Great Books in Science Fiction", December 1949, p.153</ref> [[Alfred Bester]], however, took a contrary view; reviewing the 1961 edition, he declared Del Rey's work "lacking in any comprehension of human or parahuman motives and behaviour. . . . [M]ood-writing demands a poetic insight and discipline beyond his ability; he is merely sentimental."<ref>"Books", ''[[F&SF]]'', April 1962, pp. 114-15</ref> [[E. F. Bleiler]] commented that the stories "were unusual in their day for using a sentimental approach that was sometimes very effective."<ref>Bleiler, E. F. (1983). ''The Guide to Supernatural Fiction''. Kent, Ohio: Kent State UP. {{ISBN|0873382889}} (p.147)</ref>

==Publication history==
*1948, USA, [[Prime Press]] {{OCLC|1962580}}, Pub date 1948, Hardback
*1957, Spain, Nebula, Pub date 1957, Paperback, as ''y algunos eran humanos'', omits "Helen O’Loy"
*1961, USA, [[Ballantine Books]] {{OCLC|1635423}}, Pub date 1961, Paperback, omits 4 stories

==Further reading==
*{{cite book | last=Chalker | first=Jack L. | authorlink=Jack L. Chalker | author2=Mark Owings | title=The Science-Fantasy Publishers: A Bibliographic History, 1923-1998 | location=Westminster, MD and Baltimore | publisher=Mirage Press, Ltd.| pages=530–531 | year=1998}}
*{{cite web
 |last=Contento 
 |first=William G. 
 |title=Index to Science Fiction Anthologies and Collections 
 |url=http://www.philsp.com/homeville/ISFAC/t33.htm#A720 
 |accessdate=2008-04-16 
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080508071135/http://www.philsp.com/homeville/ISFAC/t33.htm 
 |archivedate=8 May 2008 
 |url-status=live 
}}
*{{cite book | last=Tuck | first=Donald H. | authorlink=Donald H. Tuck | title=The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy | location=Chicago | publisher=[[Advent (publisher)|Advent]] | pages=135 | year=1974|isbn=0-911682-20-1}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:And Some Were Human}}
[[Category:1948 short story collections]]
[[Category:Science fiction short story collections]]